She later attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, earning her Master of Public Administration degree in 1996.

[2] She is active in numerous South Minneapolis neighborhoods focusing on issues relating to housing, health, human-rights, labor, women's rights, peace, and affordable high-quality child care for all.

Clark is a lesbian,[3] and was one of three openly gay members of the Minnesota Legislature, along with Senator D. Scott Dibble and Rep. Susan Allen, both Minneapolis Democrats.

In 1993, Clark played a critical role alongside Senator Allan Spear in passing an amendment to the Minnesota Human Rights Act that banned LGBT discrimination in housing, employment, and education.

On October 28, 2016, Clark read a speech urging Hennepin County Sheriff, Richard Stanek to withdraw deputies from Standing Rock.

[7] On May 25, 2017, Clark engaged in a hunger strike to show solidarity with protesters of a proposed public safety bill that would limit undocumented immigrants' ability to obtain driver's licenses.